Today’s Highlights:
Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy, by Sarah Gancher, directed by Darko Tresnjak, featuring Christine Lahti (Ljuba), Renata Friedman (Masha), Haskell King (Egor), John Lavelle (Steve), and Hadi Tabbal (Nikolai), opens at Off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre.
Oh, Mary, writen by & starring Cole Escola, directed by Sam Pinkleton, featuring Conrad Ricamora *Mary’s Husband), James Scully (Mary’s Teacher), Bianca Leigh (Mary’s Chaperone), and Tony Macht (Mary’s husband’s assistant), with Hannah Solow and Peter Smith, opens at Off-Bradway’s Lucille Lortel Theatre.
Audra McDonald: Musings through Music with Andy Einhorn concert & conversation, opens at NYC’s 92NY.
Masterworks Theater Company’s Swimming in Jerusalem FREE concert presentation, by Michael Robert, directed by directed by Hannah Ryan, featuring Rodd Cyrus, Kareem Elsamadicy), Maria Habeeb, David Hoffman, Maya Jacobson, and Neal Mayer, opens at Off-Broadway’s Theater 555. 
Boxoffice@Theater555.com
Huntington Theatre‘s John Proctor is the Villain, by Kimberly Belflower, directed by Margot Bordelon, featuring Japhet Balaban (Carter Smith) and Maanav Aryan Goyal (Mason Adams), Olivia Hebert (Bailey Gallagher), Benjamin Izaak (Lee Turner), Brianna Martinez (Ivy Watkins), Victoria Omoregie (Nell Shaw), Jules Talbot (Beth Powell), Isabel Van Natta (Shelby Holcomb), and Haley Wong (Raelynn Nix), with Katherine Callaway, Jessica Golden, Jack Greenberg, Jaime José Hernandez, Patrick O’Konis, Valyn Lyric Turner, and Zehava Younger, opens at Boston’s Calderwood Pavilion.
The Christine Jorgensen Show, by Donald Steven Olson, directed by Michael Barakiva, featuring Jesse James Keitel and Mark Nadler, begins previews at Off Broadway’s 59E59 Theaters.
Standing at the Sky’s Edge, by Richard Hawley & Chris Bush, directed by Robert Hastie, featuring Elizabeth Ayodele (Joy), Joel Harper-Jackson (Harry), Sharlene Hector (Grace), Samual Jordan (Jimmy), Mel Lowe (Connie), Baker Mukasa (George), Alastair Natkiel as Marcus, Laura Pitt-Pulford as Poppy, Lauryn Redding as Nikki, Rachael Wooding (Rose), Jonathan Andre (Max), Jonathon Bentley (Gary), Mya Fox-Scott (Jenny), Rachael Louise Miller (Cathy), Adam Price (Charles), Nicola Sloane (Vivienne), Lillie-Pearl Wildman (Justine), and David McKechnie (Joe/Workman), with Monique Ashe-Palmer, Adam Colbeck-Dunn, Viquichele Cross, Jamie Doncaster, Caroline Fitzgerald, Jerome Lincoln, Sean McLevy, Karen Wilkinson, Alayna Anderson, Luca Foster-Lejeune, Renee Hart, Eric Madgwick, Chioma Nduka, and Sam Stocks, begins previews at London’s Gillian Lynne Theatre.
The Age of Innocence, newly adapted by Karen Zacarías, directed by Chay Yew, featuring Callum Adams (Newland Archer), Shereen Ahmed Ellen), Barzin Akhavan (Beaufort), Delphi Borich (May), Mahira Kakkar Mrs. Welland) and Medora Manson Narrator), Eva Kaminsky Narrator, Rami Margron (Mrs. Archer/Regina Beaufort, Sophia Oberg (Janey Archer/Opera Singer), and Nastasia, Socorro Santiago (Catherine Mingott/ Mrs. van der Luyden), Mike Sears (Sillerton Jackson/Mr. Letterblair/Mr. van der Luyden, and Michael Underhill (Dallas). with Luana Fontes, Chris Hathaway, Madeline Grace Jones, Erick Lindsey, Angelynne Pawaan, Akoni Steinmann, and Emma Svitil, begins previews at San Diego’s Old Globe.
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Michael Feinsten in Lovers and Strangers will take place Sun. Feb. 17 at 8 PM at LA’s Mark Taper Forum.
Sheryl Lee Ralph
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The world premiere of Nina Meehan, Daniel Mertzlufft & Jacob Ryan Smith Grumpy Monkey, The Musical, adapted & directed by Nina Meehan, continues through Mar. 3 at the Pasadena Playhouse, directed by Meehan.
Hao Feng (Jim Panzee), Marc Ginsburg (Norman), Kay Sibal (Snake), Ciarra Stroud (Marabou) and Frankie Zabilka (Lemus), with Danny Holmberg.
Meet Jim Panzee and all his friends as they enjoy a wonderful day of exciting adventures. There’s just one problem; Jim is in no mood for any fun OR games and no one knows why!
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The 2024 Theatre World Awards will take place Mon. June 10 at 7 PM at a NYC venue TBA.
Peter Filichia
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The world premiere of Existentialism, created & directed by Anne Bogart, will run Feb. 23 – Mar. 10 (opening Feb. 26) at La Mama.
Ellen Maddow and Paul Zimet
The work follows a couple who live in two small houses side by side, both close and apart. Each go about their daily routines, while grappling with creating a meaningful life in a world where the only certainty is the passage of time.
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A one-night-only concert production of Side Show will take place Sun. Mar. 3 at the London Palladium, directed by Emma Butler ,with music direction by Adam Hoskins
Louise Dearman (Daisy Hilton), Rachel Tucker (Violet Hilton), Bradley Jaden (Terry), Tosh Wanogho-Maud (buddy), Trevor Dion Nicholas (Jake), Gina Murray (Auntie/Fortune Teller), and Adam Filipe.
Video: Dearman and Tucker perform “I Will Never Leave you”
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Ben Boecker’s My True Love: A Perfect Musical Fairytale will begin previews May 3 and open May 10 at the Players Theatre, directed by Carolyn Popadin.
Mairead Connor, Corey Jennings, Ruben Fernandez, Andrew McNamara, Camille Larsen, Livi Rose, Kate Keating, Julian Schenker, Phoenix Gould, and Joe Kassner.
Appropriate for all ages, My True Love follows a witch named Cedarella who dreams of falling in love with a perfect prince, and runs away from home to find her true love in a place called “Magicland.” Throughout her journey, she realizes that in order to find what she’s looking for, she has to let go of the fairytale stereotypes to find something real. Carolyn Popadin directs.
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Ronán Noone’s Thirst will run Feb. 23 – Mar. 17 at Boston’s Lyric Stage, directed by Courtney O’Connor.
Aimee Doherty, Kate Fitzgerald, and Michael Kaye.
Imagine if behind the drama of Eugene O’Neill’s classic drama Long Day’s Journey Into Night there was an equally compelling story happening in the kitchen of that same home amongst the cook, maid, and chauffeur. There’s a whole other story unraveling on the other side of the kitchen wall. Two Irish immigrants, including a disappointed cook whose shuttered heart only blooms when she has a bottle in her hand and a vibrant young maid who survived a trip on the Titanic, pass the day amid their gloomy daily chores alongside a resilient American chauffeur with a troubled past. As tensions rise, high-spirited humor and harsh cynicism boil over as the trio confront abandoned dreams and heart-breaking misfortunes. Underneath it all, hope is not as far away as it seems.
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S. Asher Gelman’s Scarlett Dreams will begin previews Apr. 3 and open Apr. 15 at the Greenwich House Theatre, directed by Gelman.
Brittany Bellizeare (Liza, Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Kevin), Caroline Lellouche (Scarlett), and Borris Anthony York (Milo).
The piece centers on two siblings, Milo and Liza, who have created a fitness app for a virtual reality headset. When Milo’s husband Kevin falls in love with his virtual trainer Scarlett, the dividing lines between the digital world and reality come into question.
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The 78th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony, honoring debut performances on Broadway and Off, will be held June 10 at a venue TBA.
The Honorees will be announced in the Spring (date TBA).
The Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater honors an outstanding performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway production, while the John Willis Award (honoring the man who created the annual celebration) is given for lifetime achievement in the theatre.
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Steve Yockey’s Mercury has been extended through Mar. 2 at North Hollywood’s The Road on Magnolia, directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky.
Meeghan Holaway (Pamela), Andrea Flowers (Heather), Justin Lawrence Barnes (Nick), Danny Lee Gomez (Brian), Billy Baker (Sam), Gloria Ines (Alicia), and Christina Carlisi (Olive).
Three stories cross outside of Portland, OR in a pitch-black comedy with an illicit affair, a couple hanging on by a thread, bears at the window, the deadliest curiosity shop on the west coast, and a missing dog named Mr. Bundles. No one’s happy, people stop being nice, and blood spills. This mash up of myth, missing empathy, and “good neighbors” explores what happens when the mercury rises.